"What brings Miss Suria here?" Laing's eyes lit up.
The valiant female knight's outfit today was particularly stunning. She was wearing a purple iris chiffon blouse and a pink woolen coat. Her white tight-fitting breeches outlined her long and slender legs, and her brown riding boots had silver chains hanging on them.
"I heard that Mr. Laing has gathered all the merchants, so I came to take a look. You don't mind, do you?" The female knight showed a charming smile. "By the way, I have something to ask of Mr. Laing."
"Miss Sulia, if you have anything to say, you can speak frankly." Clayon dismounted from his horse. He had always had a good impression of this Duke's daughter.
"My matter is not urgent. It won't be too late to talk about it after Mr. Laing finishes his business." Sulia calmly shook her head. The smile on her delicate face was like the dew of early spring, nourishing people's hearts. "If you don't have enough manpower, Mr. Ryan, feel free to give me the order. I believe I will be a good helper."
"But I'm just a baron. I don't dare to order a marquis. Dear Miss Suria, please come in." What made the female knight unhappy was that Laing didn't take her suggestion seriously at all. Instead, he directly pointed out the difference between their statuses.
I'm a baron, and you're a marquis. I can't order you.
The two walked into the hall. Many merchants were already waiting inside. Among them were two old acquaintances of Laing, Hadrian and Oliver.
There was still some time before the appointed time, so most of the merchants were whispering.
"Hello! Mr. Laing … No, it should be Mr. Laing. Congratulations! " Oliver pretended to be very familiar with Laing. This merchant from the Empire loudly congratulated Laing on his promotion.
"Thank you very much! Mr. Oliver seems to be doing well these days, too! ' Laing also said with a smile. His unscrupulous look made Suria unable to distinguish whether this person was a noble Knight of the Holy Grail or a cunning profiteer.
With Laing's guidance, he quickly gathered his men before Nord's port was sealed. Then, he went to the North and took over a large amount of reconstruction work.
Laing's face was indeed very useful. Many lords saw that he was introduced by Laing and trusted him. Olivier constantly received new jobs and earned a lot of gold and silver. He then used the gold and silver to buy a lot of goods and returned to Marlin Castle to earn a lot of money again.
This Empire merchant was convinced that only Laing was his savior and lucky star. Therefore, after receiving Laing's letter, not only did he bring his men over, he also planned to change his main business location to this place. He planned to take root here in the future.
In the past few days, he had already inspected the town and had taken a fancy to a piece of land.
As for the relationship between Hadrian and Laing, it was needless to say. Although it was not as good as the relationship between Oliver and Laing, they still had business dealings. After receiving the news, Hadrian personally brought his men to Laing's castle.
The other merchants did not have much of a relationship with Laing. Although they wanted to greet him, they were all stopped by the tax officer, Gasparton. "Please wait, gentlemen. The baron has something to deal with. It's not the appointed time yet. Please be patient."
Going up the wooden spiral staircase, the female knight asked curiously, "You seem to be very popular with the merchants. I see that they are very enthusiastic about you. "
"Of course they are enthusiastic about making money. This is a group of people who pursue wealth." Laing said with a smile, "Their passion for wealth is no less than the desire of the knights for the Holy Grail."
After hearing this description, Suria frowned slightly. "This analogy … doesn't seem to be very appropriate."
"This analogy is very appropriate, Miss Suria. Everyone has the right to pursue their dreams. We can't say that our pursuit of the Holy Grail is noble, and their pursuit of wealth is lowly. You have to respect people who give up everything for their dreams … even if they are enemies." Laing continued, "Of course, when you meet on the battlefield, respect means that you will give everything you have to defeat him."
These words made Sulia ponder. "Respecting your opponent is the same as respecting yourself?"
"That's the principle."
Ten minutes later, the baron brought his tax officer and the duke's daughter to the middle of the hall on the first floor of the castle. "Gentlemen, I'm sure you know why I invited you here today. I have a big business deal to do with all of you. This business deal involves many aspects, so please don't be in a hurry. Let's talk about it one by one."
There were more than a dozen merchants in the hall. After hearing this, they all nodded. "Mr. Laing, please speak clearly."
"First of all, my castle needs to be repaired and renovated. I need to order a batch of the best cherry wood furniture, carpets, and various accessories. Many of the castle's facilities need to be rebuilt and improved. I also need to build a few new facilities."
"I need a new stable that can raise pure-blooded elven warhorses."
"I also need a training ground that can provide an excellent training ground for my soldiers."
"I need a cellar. The cellar has to be deep and big enough."
"A spire, exactly according to the design on this blueprint."
"At the same time, I also need …"
The first thing Leon talked about was the construction of his castle. He planned to redecorate and rebuild the entire castle. The amount of work was so large that it made the merchants speechless. This astonishing cost was almost more expensive than rebuilding the entire castle.
After Laing finished his report, he said to the merchants, "I will pay 40% of the construction cost first. When the project is completed, I will pay 50%. As for the last 10%, if there are no problems in the next few years, the balance will be settled."
The female knight sat on the side and listened. After hearing Laing's plan, Suria's eyes flashed. She felt that this method of payment was quite good and guaranteed. When she went back, she must tell her father.
The merchants lowered their heads and thought for a while. They all felt that there was no problem. Among them, the one who dressed the most low-key and spoke the least spoke.
This merchant was called Ismail. He looked the most low-key, but in fact, he was a famous tycoon in Brittany. He used to be the butler of the Duke of Poldero. Due to his outstanding business ability, he was given the name "Ismail" by the Duke and started to do business independently. He looked to be in his forties and had a goatee. He was handsome and easy to get close to and trust. He also had the aura of the leader of the merchants.
Under everyone's gaze, Ismail opened his mouth. His voice was like a gentle breeze and drizzle. "Your Excellency, your request is very high. Your method of payment is also very reasonable. I just don't know, how much money does Your Excellency wish to fork out to complete this reconstruction project?"
"How much money I fork out does not depend on me, but on all of you," Laing's words were earth-shattering. Many of the merchants thought to themselves, Isn't this asking them to ask for sky-high prices?
"How about this, I will give all of you some time. According to my standards, please calculate your prices and write them down on a piece of paper for me. I will choose a gentleman who offers a lower and more reasonable price and hand this project over to him," Laing continued.
What? The merchants were shocked at first, but they immediately understood Laing's intention.
This Baron was trying to use this method to reduce the cost as much as possible.
However, the profits of this project were too high. Soon, hostility arose among the merchants. They carefully calculated the cost and calculated how much profit they would have to fork out in order to suppress other people's offers.
Only Ismail remained unmoved. This tycoon merchant closed his eyes and took the piece of paper. He wrote down a string of numbers and signaled his subordinate to pass it to Gaspaton. He had the support of the Duke of Poldero behind him. The various costs were much lower than the expenses of other merchants.
His rich experience allowed him to roughly estimate how much profit his peers could fork out, and how much he could earn.
As expected, this tycoon's offer of 7800 crowns stood out from the other merchants' offers of 8000-9000 crowns and successfully secured the first major project.
"Leave it to me, Your Excellency. Four months later, you will be able to see a brand new castle that belongs to you. This ancient castle will have a brand new look." Ismail shook hands with Laing and smiled. Even though Laing's method reduced his profits slightly, there was still quite a bit of profit to be made.
"I look forward to it," Laing nodded and smiled as well. The two of them officially signed the contract under the watchful eyes of the crowd.
Seeing this, Hadrian was secretly annoyed. This tycoon from the southern kingdom knew that he could not offer as low a price as Ismail, because if he were to build this castle, he would have to mobilize resources and manpower from Marlinburg. These resources and manpower would have to pay a large amount of customs duties when they passed through the border. Therefore, he set his sights on the next project.
"The second project is roads and canals. The farmlands in my territory need to be irrigated, and the citizens need to maintain hygiene to prevent the spread of diseases. A good road can allow travelers from afar to enjoy a comfortable journey, and can also bear more freight."
Soon, the second project was taken over by a merchant from the Kacason Duchy. He promised to build the most convenient roads with stones.
"For the third project, I intend to build some workshops along the Chinon River to produce weapons, armor and some other things." Laing spread his hands. "I have quite a number of techniques to create runic weapons, but I obviously have no interest or energy to participate in these constructions. Therefore, I will use my techniques to invest."
Hadrian's eyes lit up. He knew how many secrets Laing had. Therefore, this tycoon from the southern kingdom agreed to cooperate with Laing at a high price. Both parties would work together to open several workshops.
Next, the third, fourth, and fifth projects involved all aspects of Laing's territory. One project after another allowed many merchants to find their main source of income. More than half of the sixty gold coins that Laing had accumulated were spent like water. Even the female knight who was sitting by the side and listening felt sorry for him. Even Duke Winford himself had never spent money so extravagantly.
Gasparton was even more shocked by his baron's wealth. He really did not expect Laing to be so rich.
Laing's expression did not change at all as he spent the money. The baron himself knew that money was only effective when spent. Saving it all day would only rot in his hands. Only the circulation of wealth could make his territory prosperous.
The town and village needed to be expanded, and the streets needed to be redesigned. The Empire merchant Oliver took over this project. He would lead his men to carry out the work.
The baron arranged all kinds of things in an orderly manner. The merchants all got the projects they wanted, and the money was spent wave after wave. Laing's endless ideas surprised Suria.
"The last project is left." The baron briefly introduced the last project. He planned to build Jean's Vineyard into a resort that combined planting, brewing, and leisure.
It would be easy to make this resort famous. Laing already had a complete plan in mind.
As soon as he finished introducing the project, Marchioness Winford, who was sitting by the side, stood up. She said to all the merchants present, "Hello, everyone. I am Suria Kumani Antrel de Winford."
"Greetings, Marchioness Suria!" The merchants all returned the greeting. Everyone knew this duke's daughter.
"Thank you all for coming to Mr. Laing's meeting today. However, I regret to announce that I will take over the last project on behalf of the Antrel family." The female knight turned around and looked at Laing, who had a strange expression. She said generously, "The royal craftsmen of the Antrel family will make the best furniture and all kinds of art for Jean's Vineyard. The royal winemaker of the Antrel family will provide enough technical guidance. We will give Mr. Laing a satisfactory price."
When the merchants saw the marchioness stand up, they sighed in their hearts. It seemed that today's meeting was really over.
Brittany's wine was famous throughout the old world. When it came to winemaking, the Duchy of Connet in the north, the Duchy of Bordero in the west, and the Duchy of Carcassonne in the south were all rich in wine.
However, none of them could be compared to the Duchy of Winford. This duchy was known as the "home of wine and olive oil." It had three of the five best wineries in the old world. Its most famous wine, Lysarius, was only produced once every three years. When Suria opened her mouth, all the merchants knew that they were not qualified to compete in this area.
Thus, everything was settled. The merchants all signed the contract with Laing in front of the statue of the goddess in the lake. In front of a god, once a contract was signed, there was no going back.
They were ready to start the operation.
Everyone left one after another. Hadrian and Olivier wanted to take the opportunity to catch up with Laing, but the merchants never lacked the ability to read people's expressions. Seeing that the duke's daughter seemed to have something to say to Laing, the two merchants immediately said that they would visit again next time.
After the matter was settled, the baron was in a good mood, so he joked to the female knight, "Miss Suria, you scared my guests away. What's the matter? Please speak frankly. "
"Mr. Laing is really talented. There are many methods that I've never seen before." The female knight stood straight. No matter what movement she made, she maintained perfect etiquette and spoke elegantly. Seeing Laing looking at her, she smiled and took out a letter with a wax seal. "This is a letter from my father to you.
We have something to ask of you. It's about the security of the territory. "
"Recently, there seem to be ghosts in the Duchy of Winford."
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